This study compared new fire recruits in the first week of employment and following a 10-week training period with a group of experienced firefighters. Results suggest that new firefighter recruits enter the fire service with considerable experience of exposure to critical events. Nevertheless, a significant linear relationship was found between years of experience and levels of traumatic stress and depression. Further, this study revealed that experienced firefighters had lower levels of social support and lower self-efficacy than the new recruits. As these variables were associated with traumatic stress and depressive symptoms, it is concerning that these protective factors appear to diminish with time.

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Although social support and trauma symptoms were associated with the use of MHS leave, in this study, personality style was the strongest factor differentiating those individuals who took MHS leave from those who did not.

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This critical analysis of the literature examines the racial disproportionality of African American children in the U.S. child welfare and foster care systems, and disparate access to Child Protective Services (CPS) referred support services. At each critical decision point within child welfare and foster care services, African American children are disproportionately represented and Black children and families subject to disparate access to employment, housing, mental health assessment and treatment. Competing data regarding non-findings of racial disproportionality in CPS and foster care and disparate treatment among African American families is presented and examined.